Flu Vaccine: Should Your Kids Get the Nasal Spray?

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In a new recommendation this flu season, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention says that the nasal spray form of the flu
vaccine is the preferred way to vaccinate kids ages 2 to 8.
Previously, the CDC did not recommended one form of the vaccine
over the other for this age group.

Here's what you need to know about the change.

What prompted the change?

New studies suggest that the nasal spray works particularly well
to prevent flu in children ages 2 to 8. Although neither the shot
nor the spray protects against the flu 100 percent of the time,
the nasal spray prevented 50 percent more flu cases than the
flu
shot in children 2 to 8 in the new studies, according to the
CDC.

Should parents wait to vaccinate their children if the
nasal spray is not available?

No. Parents should not delay vaccinating their children. If the
nasal spray is not immediately available, parents should have
their children get the flu shot instead, the CDC
says.

Yes. Some children should not get the nasal spray, but they may
be able to receive a flu shot instead. This group of children
includes those who are taking regular aspirin (or taking
medications that contain aspirin), children who have an
egg allergy, children ages 2 to 4 who have experienced asthma
or wheezing symptoms in the last year, children who received
antiviral medications in the past two days and children with
weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.

Which vaccine should older children get?

Children ages 9 and older can get either the nasal spray or the
flu shot — there is not a preference for one type over the other
in this age group, the CDC says.

Is the nasal spray a quadrivalent vaccine?

Yes. All nasal-spray vaccines are quadrivalent, which means they
protect against four strains of flu virus: two influenza A
strains (H1N1 and H3N2) and two influenza B strains. (The flu
shot is available in both the trivalent and the quadrivalent
types; the trivalent vaccine protects against only one influenza
B strain.)

Will my child need two doses of the nasal spray?

The CDC recommends that children who are getting the flu vaccine
for the first time receive two doses of the vaccine (either the
nasal spray or the flu shot). Children who have previously been
vaccinated need just one dose, according to the CDC.